> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seahawks’ Road to Super Bowl Repeat Becomes Far Trickier Following Pair of Blockbuster Trades - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-road-super-bowl-repeat-far-trickier-blockbuster-trades/ - Published: 2026-06-01T23:01:20.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:14:34.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Devon Witherspoon, Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3860"\] ![ Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during warmups prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_21768676-format-original.jpg) Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during warmups prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images \[/caption\] Closing in on a new season as the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks will have massive targets on their backs every single week, and rivals have already started throwing darts aiming for the bullseye two months before training camp even begins. Kicking off the month of June with a rare flurry of blockbuster deals for the early summer, the Los Angeles Rams traded a 2027 first round pick, 2028 second round pick, and 2029 third round pick along with defensive end Jared Verse to the Cleveland Browns to acquire superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett. Shortly after, the New England Patriots executed their own blockbuster to give quarterback Drake Maye a new No. 1 weapon, trading a 2028 first round pick and 2027 fifth round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for standout receiver A.J. Brown. Of those two moves, the Brown deal carries the most significance in terms of immediacy, as the Seahawks will see Brown donning a silver shell, white jersey, and nautical blue pants right out of the gate in their season opening Super Bowl LX rematch versus the Patriots at Lumen Field. The talented receiver will be reunited with coach Mike Vrabel after previously spending several seasons together in Tennessee and will replace Stefon Diggs as the team’s top pass catcher atop a significantly different receiving corps. Breaking into the league in the same 2019 draft class as Ole Miss teammate and former Seahawks star DK Metcalf, Brown has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and scored at least seven receiving touchdowns in six of his seven NFL seasons, including last year with the Eagles. However, the star became frustrated during the 2025 campaign as he and quarterback Jalen Hurts struggled to link up with the same effectiveness as previous years in an offense that wasn’t as explosive without former coordinator Kellen Moore calling plays, seeing his success rate dip by 12% and his catch rate decline by more than 5%. Back in February, Seattle largely suffocated New England’s passing game, intercepting Maye twice and sacking him six times. While the young quarterback did throw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, a pick six from outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu after a quarterback hit from a blitzing Devon Witherspoon all but sealed the deal. Now, in the rematch come September, Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, and a largely untested cornerback group behind them minus Riq Woolen will have to worry about Brown as well as Romeo Doubs, who the Patriots signed in free agency away from the Packers, and returning slot Kayshon Boutte. In addition, New England still has reliable tight end Hunter Henry and two capable pass catchers out of the backfield, ensuring coach Mike Macdonald will have no shortage of playmakers to game plan for in the Wednesday night opener. But in the grand scheme of things, while the Seahawks want to obviously start fast and Brown’s arrival in Foxboro will make the Patriots far more formidable on offense for Week 1, that deal doesn’t carry anywhere close to the same weight for an out of conference opponent. On the contrary, the Rams’ latest move in the NFC West talent wars presents the greatest new obstacle for Macdonald and his squad to overcome as they try to repeat both as division and world champs. After already upgrading their secondary back in March by trading for ex-Chiefs star cornerback Trent McDuffie prior to the draft, Rams general manager Les Snead continued to go all in by trading for a likely first ballot Hall of Famer in Garrett to pair with defensive tackles Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, forming arguably the best defensive line in the league. The 30-year-old has won Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and been selected First-Team All-Pro in five of the past six seasons, producing at least 14 sacks and 26 quarterback hits in five consecutive campaigns. Even while toiling on the perpetually lowly Browns, Garrett continued to put up astronomical numbers as the NFL’s premier quarterback hunter, breaking the single season record with 23 sacks last season. Adding that type of historically elite firepower to a front already featuring Turner, Fiske, and Byron Young, who broke out with 12 sacks a year ago, will make trying to move the football and keep signal callers upright against the Rams a nightmare for opponents on a weekly basis. Combining that with the return of 49ers star Nick Bosa from a torn ACL and life just became much, much more difficult protecting Sam Darnold this fall. The Seahawks have improved leaps and bounds in the trenches over the past couple of seasons and will have all five of their starting offensive linemen back from last year’s Super Bowl squad. Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who will now be tasked with trying to keep Garrett at bay off the edge, have established themselves as top-15 caliber blockers at their positions and received contract extensions last year. Left guard Grey Zabel earned All-Rookie team recognition last year and should only get better moving forward, while center Jalen Sundell has a bright future as well under the tutelage of line coach John Benton. But with Garrett now on board in Los Angeles, Cross and Lucas will have to take their games to a whole other level and Seattle undoubtedly will need further improvement from right guard Anthony Bradford, who remained the unit’s weak link at times last season and enters the final year of his rookie contract with lingering questions about his viability as a long-term option. The Seahawks need him to be a more consistent anchor in the run game to help take pressure off of Darnold while also making strides in pass protection against stunts, which could become more prevalent for Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula to unleash his exciting new weapon added to the defensive line arsenal. If there’s a silver lining, away from the fact Seattle could realistically have a top-five caliber offensive line this season if everything comes together as envisioned for a unit with outstanding continuity and untapped potential still to unearth, Benton’s crew won’t have to see Garrett in person until Christmas. The two rivals, who last faced off in the NFC Championship Game with the Seahawks edging the Rams 31-27, play twice in a three week span to close out the regular season, providing ample time for the unit to get fully in sync and hopefully be playing their best football by the time they collide again in the closing stretch. For the time being, with two aggressive moves to acquire premium defensive chess pieces, the Rams have further solidified their standing as the greatest threat - if not being the clear favorite - to unseat the Seahawks atop the NFC pecking order. Odds makers likely will pivot to Garrett’s new employer as the team to beat, and understandably so. It can be argued no true contender has done more to improve with game-changing moves this offseason. The path to another Lombardi couldn’t be much tougher now for Seattle. But if general manager John Schneider and Macdonald have proven anything in their two years working together thus far, the Seahawks will welcome the new challenge as a chance to continue chasing edges and won’t put too much thought into what other teams in the division have done trying to dethrone them. Whether making their own upgrades via trade as a counter or leaning on further player development, they will have a plan in place to improve their own team to prepare to take everyone’s best shot at the champs.